Asheville City Council preview: evidence room, water, skateboards and more

At its meeting tonight, Asheville City Council has no lack of issues to keep them busy. These include:

• The first public report on the audit of missing items from the Asheville Police Department evidence room. The city, along with District Attorney Ron Moore, currently faces an open records lawsuit filed by local media, including Xpress, for its failure to release the audit records.

• A vote on allowing skateboarding as a form of transportation downtown. Currently, skateboarding is banned in downtown. The rules change would allow skateboarding on city-maintained streets as long as skateboarders kept all wheels down and obey the same rules as cyclists. Skateboarders have pressed for the change, asserting that the current rules unfairly curb their ability to use a legitimate form of transportation.

• A discussion on legislation currently before the General Assembly that would allow a sewer district to run a water system. A study committee led by Rep. Tim Moffitt has controversially recommended transferring the city’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District.

• A report on the city’s land use incentive policy, which allows projects that encourage density and affordable/workforce housing along certain corridors to apply for reduced property taxes for a number of years. The report cites recommendations by a number of city communities that the city expand the areas available for the incentives.

Council meets at 5 p.m., July 24 in its chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

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12 thoughts on “Asheville City Council preview: evidence room, water, skateboards and more”

Governor Perdue should veto H1009 because it lays the groundwork to seize not just Asheville’s water, but it sets a precedent and amends the statutes that could affect other cities in NC. Under the flag of “regionalism”, cities and towns all over the State could find that they don’t own or control their water/wastewater infrastructure. It belongs to Raleigh, and they can strip it away & give it to whatever political entity they trust to serve the “right” interests.

And don’t fool yourself – once this precedent is set, and the political wheel turns again, it will be used by a Democratic majority to exact retribution. It’s wrong by any sane measure, and the bill that gets that ball rolling should be vetoed.

Precedent Schmecedent. Silly boy. This precedent was set years ago by the Democrat Party. If you support home rule, just say so and do something about it. And, hey, welcome to the club, Johnny-come-lately.
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Are you talking about the maintenance & expansion projects that were initiated over a year ago? Yeah again, I suppose if you weren’t too particular about pesky facts, you could spin that.

Attack ’em for supposedly not doing enough maintenance, & then attack ’em when they do it. Scream about raising rates, and then hand the system over to an authority who has promised to raise your rates. Smart.

I have several friends and family that utilize boards as transportation. All four wheels down, a little push to get up the slopes, and almost as fast as me biking alongside. It’s good exercise, it’s good for the environment, and if done safely, it’s only wrecking their knees.

It is my honest opinion that anyone who is afraid of skateboarding should try it. The things we fear are the things we get our panties in a wad over.